Girls Dig Dinosaurs: Why Women are the Future of Palaeontology

Palaeontology by definition is the study of the very ancient past, a discipline where scientists try to unravel the mysteries of bygone ages and recreate lost worlds and vanished lives. Typically when people think about paleontology their minds are immediately drawn to dinosaurs, the icons of prehistory and that which kindles most youngsters’ first interest in science. Of course, there’s much more to palaeontology than dinosaurs, with 60 million years’ worth of wonderful and beautiful animals having existed between their reign and now, not to mention the billions of years of evolution which preceded them.

Similarly, a lot of people’s view of what a palaeontologist should look like is somewhat old-fashioned; stuffy old aristocratic men with striking facial hair as epitomised by famous rivals Cope and Marsh or the more forward-thinking, but equally male and beardy, fathers of the Dinosaur Renaissance. Over the generations, the stereotypical view of what a palaeontologist ‘should’ look like has been a distinctly masculine image. Society has been quite eager to label dinosaurs as being ‘for boys’, needlessly attempting to deny one of science’s greatest recruitment tools to half of the population. One need only look at your average toy shop or kids’ clothing department, where you’d be very hard pressed to find dino-themed girls’ pajamas or toys.

Despite the male stereotype, many of palaeontology’s ‘founding Fathers’ were in fact women. In the 1800s an intrepid female fossil hunter named Mary Anning discovered a plethora of new types of prehistoric reptiles including the first known plesiosaur and several ichthyosaurs, drastically broadening our knowledge of the Mesozoic seas.

Mary Anning, the “grandmother” of palaeontology as we know it.

It was Anning’s discoveries which inspired the fabled Gideon Mantell to become a palaeontologist, and while he is credited with describing the iconic dinosaur Iguanodon, it was in fact his wife, Mary Ann, who found the first fossils of the animal. Around the same time, William Buckland’s soon-to-be wife Mary (seemingly a popular first name among female paleontologists) Morland was instrumental in helping him study and describe the meat-eating dinosaur known as Megalosaurus. In fact, it was she who illustrated the fossils for the official scientific paper. Bear in mind, this was twenty years before the word ‘dinosaur’ was even coined, so to say that the likes of ladies Anning, Mantell and Morland were trailblazers in the field of palaeontology would be an understatement.

Despite their profound impact on the birth of palaeontology as we know it, female palaeontologists have fallen out of the limelight in recent generations, with this particular branch of science being seen by many as being strictly a man’s game. That is not to say there aren’t continuously great contributions made to the field by female palaeontologists, but it can’t be helped but noting that this particular branch of science can come across as being quite male-orientated, especially as far as popular depictions are concerned. However, the times, they are a changin’!

The Lottie Effect

It is often said that what we play with as kids greatly influences what we go on to do as adults. Fortunately though, toy companies have caught on to the fact that little girls like science and have started giving them what they want. Take for example, the Lottie Doll. She’s every bit as pretty and lovely as any Malibu Stacy-type, but with the added bonus that her hobbies include digging up fossils and exploring space, like Dora the Explorer, but for a slightly older demogaph. The positive effects of the likes of Dora and Lottie are clear to see. No longer do girls’ toys encourage them to aspire only to obtain makeovers and dream houses. The girl of today plays with a doll who works hard and provides for herself. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s a ‘one or the other’ scenario. As I write this, my niece is assembling a LEGO scientist kit while listening to a Justin Bieber CD (hopefully, for my sake, she’ll grow out of the latter!).

This is Lottie. Lottie is a palaeontologist. Be like Lottie.

As someone who is fortunate enough to be able to lecture to kids (and adults too!) about dinosaurs and palaeontology in his spare time (and not just to the captive audiences on the bus either, at actual organised presentations and events), I have noticed a most encouraging trend among my younger audiences. Less than two years ago, girls would have struggled to make up 10% of an audience. However, with each passing show, that percentage has been increasing quite steadily to the point that my recent stint doing guided tours of Tayto Park’s Dinosaur Encounter & Ice Age Valley saw the majority of audiences consisting of more excited little girls than boys. It was a welcome but surprising phenomenon. While I was certainly aware that the numbers of girls with keen interests in palaeontology was on the up, I couldn’t have predicted, even in my most optimistic calculations, that their numbers would swell so quickly.

The rapid ascension of girls with an interest in palaeontology today can only be a good thing for the science itself. After all, its is these girls who will one day cement their interest in the field by applying for science-based college courses and later specialising in palaeontology. This will mean that there is a more diverse pool overall when it comes to picking out the next generation of palaeonologists. And, if what we see in the park lectures and museums these days is anything to go by, it may not be too long before the face of palaeontology looks considerably more female once again.

If you’d like to see what it’s like studying dinosaurs for a living, then I strongly recommend checking out Coursera’s free 12-part Dino 101 online course which is delivered by University of Alberta palaeontologists Philip J. Currie and Angelica Torices.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

About The Author

Sean is Geek Ireland's resident dinosaur enthusiast, having been fascinated by prehistory since a time before he could read, speak or stand in an upright position (he still struggles to do at least one of these things on a daily basis).
Known as one of the biggest dinosaur fans Ireland has ever produced, Sean has delivered talks on his favourite subject at many venues and events including the Irish Film Institute, the UCD Science Expression Festival, Tayto Park, Dublin Comic Con and even London's Comedy Store.

I’m sorry but I have to say as a mother to three boys and a baby girl; as a grown woman with four sisters (two older and two younger) yes 5 of us in all. I am sick and tired of people saying girls toys and boys toys. The only difference in toys is what we make them. There aren’t any girl toys and the child or children pictured on a stupid box should denote who the item is intended for. My sisters and I grew up with Tonka trucks and Barbies. We never knew or thought I’d a toy was intended for boys or girls. Things didn’t have to be pink or blue they just were. In my home with my children and daycare children we have Toys!

Upcoming Events

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we're banking on this being the best

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we’re banking on this being the best gaming event in Ireland during 2018!

Location

Organizer

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we're banking on this being the best

Event Details

RAID 2018 is a gaming event, by gamers, for gamers. Offering BYOC LAN tournaments, video game concerts, talks from industry professionals and much more, we’re banking on this being the best gaming event in Ireland during 2018!